With every new USB device I acquire, my desire for my Dell XPS M1330 laptop to have more than just two USB ports grows stronger. Perhaps now I can finally get my wish.
Tuesday, LaCie introduced two stylish USB 2.0 hubs, the Core4 and Core7, which seem like they will work well with laptops. Designed by Sam Hecht--an award-winning, U.K.-based, industrial designer--these two hubs offer functionality, portability, and style. Both come in a compact form factor, with cables tucked away when not in use.
The Core4 supports up to four USB devices, while the Core7 can handle up to seven. Both come with a Mini-USB male connector, which is the most popular connector for portable USB devices and will come in handy if you forget a USB cable.
The two hubs are also bus-powered, meaning they will work without a power adapter. However, you will need a power adapter if you use multiple bus-powered USB devices with the hubs; this is because a computer's USB port has only enough juice to power so many devices at a time.
The Core7 ships with a power adapter, but the Core4 doesn't; you can purchase one separately if need be. The Core4 comes in three different colors: warm gray, blue, and orange. The Core7 comes in warm gray only.
LaCie's Core4 and Core7 USB hubs are available now and cost $10 and $20, respectively.
Work and play living together in harmony.
(Credit: Cabracega)As the Google campuses proved long ago, employee productivity depends largely on comfort and morale. While I've given up on begging human resources at CNET to hire an in-house chef, maybe they'll front the bill for a set of USB sofas.
A concept design by Cabracega for OFFF Lisbon 2008, they might look like your average La-Z-Boy, but each one functions as its own autonomous USB hub with seven cables that stick out of the cushions and allow the lounger to plug in multiple peripherals or store content.
The real appeal, though, is that you can also connect the couches together and form a cohesive Megazordian USB hub in which users can share content and work as a team at the same time! Oh, CNET HR, you're a lucky bunch: at this time, the USB sofas are still conceptual and waiting for funding, so please go here and donate to my comfortable cause.
We've discovered a way to take a bunch of gadgets that belong in the trash and turn them into energy for everyone! Listen and find out how. (well, other than the fact that we're simply that awesome.)
Listen now: Download today's podcast
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EPISODE 114 |
Plasma plants to vaporize trash and create new energy
Chick-fil-A stuffing a space station in every kid’s meal
Get into the festive spirit with Christmas Jewel USB drive
Update: Vivienne Tam HP Digital Clutch
Tool Time
BeoSound 5 controls your digital home theater in grand, futuristic style
It’s about time
Naf Naf Sunrise Effect alarm clock - a less SAD way to wakeup
PRETTY
Samsung Cleo cell phone sashays into Canada
Pink Watch
Guitars for Girls -Guitar Hero and Rock Band
Gender Gap
The Chair for Man
VOICE MAIL
Peter from Frampton
I had to share this with people who would appreciate how this could be a necessary ‘food accessory’ for some, but to others, it is just wrong.
Leia E.
Apple Valley, MN
Hey Gadgettes,
Why, why, why? Well, actually, for cancer research. But at least it’s the real thing and not Swarovski crystals. Note the convenience of being able to remove the diamonds to stick in all the jewelry you have that doesn’t already have diamonds.
Also, the blog it came from has the potential to be a great source for you all. Love the show!
-Rabbi the Linguist
P.S.: Why the hate on LARPers but the love of Utilikilt owners? The two groups overlap quite a bit. If you’re gonna dis on LARPers, at least limit it to the ones who can’t distinguish the game from reality. Some of us just enjoy some escapism and creative use of our imagination from time to time, but we understand that, when the game is over, it’s over. (It’s also a good way to socialize - is this a good time to mention that I’ve never been in a LARP that wasn’t at least 40% female?) Our characters may be us (a first-time LARPer often ends up playing herself) but we are not our characters. Those who don’t understand that are likely to be marginalized in a serious game.
I will, though, give you mad props for liking Utilikilts. They’re quite comfortable and the ladies seem to love them. (Gotta love geek
girlfriends!) Keep on rockin’ that podcast.
From Dr. Jason
Lita Ford parties like it’s 1989
(Credit:
Gizmodo)
Non-Star Wars enthusiasts may find these items utterly tacky on their desktops, but the official R2D2 and Darth Vader USB hubs were designed for hardcore fans who are in a galaxy of their own, far far away. In addition to the four USB ports, the R2 hub turns its head, lights up, and whistles the signature sounds associated with the droid. The Vader model features its own sound effects and glowing red eyes.
Unfortunately, the USB hubs appear to be located in a particular region of the universe called Japan, at least for now. Though we're sure that with so many Star Wars devotees patrolling our galaxy for such paraphernalia, it really shouldn't be too hard to find one popping up on online stores and auction sites soon enough. Gizmodo says both the R2D2 and Darth Vader USB hubs will retail for $66 each starting in July.
(Source: Crave Asia)
(Credit:
Forbidden Planet)
It seems like yesterday, but it was a year ago that we were in the throes of Transformers mania. For months its merchandizing machine was flooding the market with everything from earphones to shoes trying to capitalize on the blockbuster movie. We thought they'd exhausted all the possibilities, but apparently one was left out near the end of the geek food chain: a USB hub.
It's not as bad as it sounds. Though hardly the most sophisticated gadget, the "All Spark" cube bears a design and significance that true bot-fans are sure to appreciate, as Everything USB notes. Dedicated to the hallowed object of the same name, which has the power to create Transformers, the four-port hub even talks the talk--according to its product description, this USB block utters robotic phrases when devices are plugged in, such as "We must protect the All Spark Cube." Irritating.
(Credit:
Gadget4all)
If there's something that even arch-rival Giants and Dodgers fans can agree on, it's that there are zillions of USB hubs on the desktop market. But what about for the car? For 12 bucks, Gadget4all is selling a four-port charger that can plug directly into the cigarette lighter socket for all your in-car gadget needs. Because you never know when you might need a snack or a megadose of aromatherapy to prevent a case of road rage.
(Credit:
Joel Escalona)
I know what I'm getting Major League Baseball's all-time leading home run hitter for his birthday this year.
A big, fat asterisk.
I know, I know. I'm the most generous Dodgers' fan ever, right? Besides being eminently appropriate, and just plain awesome-looking, this asterisk is actually useful. Especially if Barry has, say, a MacBook Air.
This asterisk is a four-port USB hub created by industrial designer Joel Escalona. It's also bright red, and very sleek.
(Note: depending on where your sports loyalties lie, this gift can also work for Roger Clemens, Bill Belichick, or any member of the New England Patriots.)
(Via Ubergizmo)
As promised, more gadgets have been approved as official Wireless USB devices. D-Link and IOGEAR both announced Wireless USB hub and adapter kits Monday.
(Credit:
D-Link)
D-Link's Wireless USB Adapter & 4-Port Wireless USB Hub and IOGEAR'S Wireless USB Hub & Adapter Kit are both backward compatible with wired USB and have bandwidth capabilities of up to 480 Mbps at a distance of 10 feet, and 110 Mbps at 30 feet. While Wireless USB does free you from using cables, the signal does not go through walls, so make sure your laptop and the peripherals you want to connect have a line of sight to each other.
The kits bring the list of approved devices to six, joining Dell's Inspiron 1720 notebook and Lenovo's ThinkPad T61 and T61p notebooks, also announced today.
Most desktop and laptop PCs have, at most, four USB ports for peripherals such as cameras, hard drives, and printers, but most of us have more than four peripherals to connect to our PCs. So we're all familiar with the USB hokey-pokey: you put your camera USB in, you take the printer USB out, your put the thumbdrive USB in, and your cords get tangled about. So not fun. Today, Belkin announced four new USB hubs that let you keep all your peripherals connected and that don't block adjacent USB ports.
The Swivel Hub
(Credit: Belkin)The $30 Swivel Hub is a 4-to-1 expander that rotates 180 degrees so you can still use adjacent ports. Additionally, it swivels up and down so you actually see the port you're plugging into, instead of blindly poking your USB connector at the port.
The Clip-On Hub
(Credit: Belkin)The $30 Clip-On Hub is also a 4-to-1 expander but includes a claw that can grab on to the edge of your desk or corral a mess of cables. It has two top-mounted ports for peripherals you plug and unplug frequently (such as an MP3 player or thumbdrive) and two side-mounted ports for items you leave constantly connected (such as printers or hard drives).
The Hub-to-Go
(Credit: Belkin)The $50 Hub-to-Go comprises two sections: a base unit with three ports and a detachable unit with four ports. The detachable section can go with you when you're on the road and it rotates and swivels like the Swivel Hub. The base unit stays put on your desktop (for printers and such) and includes a catch-all tray for the normal desktop junk, like paper clips and sticky notes.
The Wireless USB Hub and Adapter let you roam free while printing.
(Credit: Belkin)Finally, Belkin also announced the $200 Wireless USB Hub, which uses Certified WUSB technology. The base sits on your desk (or wherever you want to keep your printer, scanner, and such) and includes four ports into which you can plug various USB peripherals. The wireless USB adapter plugs into one of the ports on your laptop and lets you use those peripherals while roaming up to 30 feet.
All four products come with a power port and power supply, and all will be available in late August.
(Credit:
Chip Chick)
It seems like not that long ago when USB hubs were nearly the size of the computer itself. In fact, it seems like not that long ago when few people even knew what USB meant. But then again, we're pretty old. Anyway, enough depressing digression.
Chip Chick has found what appears to be "the world's smallest USB hub," which seems to be barely bigger than most USB storage keys. The "T3Hub" can serve up to three devices, including one high-power gadget if needed. We wish these were around before the days when desktops and laptops came with multiple USB ports; they could have saved our workspaces from becoming the fire hazards they are today.
